Marine profiling lidars and their application for oceanological problems

The review focuses on research conducted using profiling (radiometric) lidars. The paper presents the current state of lidar surveying equipment, methods for processing lidar data, and describes the problems of scientific and practical interest in oceanology that can be solved using lidar sensing. The review does not cover issues related to laser bathymetry, spectral (Raman) and spaceborne lidars, as they are separate specific fields. The main focus is on recent research in profiling lidar field. Summary tables of the technical characteristics of several of the most interesting airborne and shipborne lidars are provided. Their design features are discussed. Results from using lidars to determine near-surface hydrooptical characteristics, including employing polarization lidars and recently developed high-resolution spectral lidars, are presented. Findings from observing thin scattering layers across various aquatic regions are shown. The paper explores theoretical studies on lidar images of internal waves and experimental observations of internal waves in waters with different hydrooptical stratification. Lidars' application in addressing fisheries-related issues is examined. An overview of current development trends and future research directions is provided.